Chapter 77
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Business (2)
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"What the hell is this?"
I circled the building once, following the foul-smelling alley, half-expecting this crazy bitch to have some back door set up for shady deals. But there was nothing—just a firmly shut iron gate and ventilation shafts blocked by bars.
What gives? Why'd it get shut down? Did they run some illegal experiments or something?
If the Hunter Association stepped in personally all the way out here in Nocturne Town—practically an extraterritorial zone—it had to be something serious.
That's when it happened.
As I lingered near the workshop entrance, unable to tear myself away, a gaze had been watching me from a filthy pile of cardboard boxes at the street corner.
"Hey, kid. What're you staring at so hard?"
A middle-aged homeless man reeking of cheap booze and despair approached me with a sleazy glint in his eye. The grubby guy scratched at his scruffy beard with dirty hands and drew closer, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together in the most blatant way.
"Curious, huh?"
His greasy eyes gleamed with greed.
"I saw it all. The commotion inside, that witch bitch getting dragged out kicking and screaming. Crystal clear, every bit. I could let you in on it cheap."
I looked down at him silently for a moment.
'Picked the wrong mark.'
I don't have any money.
But admitting that felt too embarrassing...
Without a word, I pulled the doll from my pocket and tossed it to the ground.
A gooey puddle of lime-green slime bubbled up from the pavement. Before the bum could even scream, a slender girl—Lena—emerged from it. Dressed in her bikini-like battle gear, she fixed him with an emotionless stare.
"Eek?! W-what the hell? What're you wearing? Don't tell me you're some high-rank hunter?!"
"...Shall I handle him?"
"No, hold on."
I stopped the bum flailing on the ground and asked,
"Need some coins?"
"N-no, no, I'm good! Heh heh, I was just being nosy. Go on about your business, hunters."
"First, spill the info."
"Y-yes?"
"You said you saw everything."
At my icy tone, Lena's shadow loomed over him. He gulped hard, his face twisting in decay as he stammered,
"W-well... That crazy witch bitch started causing a fuss a while back."
"A fuss?"
"Yeah. Bragging about inventing something huge. Y'know those pricey potions hunters go nuts for? The ones that boost mana... Mana Elixirs!"
"......"
"She claimed she'd made cheap knockoffs of 'em and shouted it all over the neighborhood. Zero effect, but half the price of the real deal. Total scam artist, that bitch."
His words made me pinch the bridge of my nose.
That bottom-tier elixir from my recipe.
And Doris had peddled it as a 'Mana Elixir knockoff'?
'Not like I can complain since I sold her the recipe...'
Tough luck.
Her skills were beyond doubt, but her workshop was a mom-and-pop operation, barely scraping by like a corner store.
Once she drew aggro, there was no weathering the storm from above.
'Passing off a cheap Mana Elixir sub as the real deal? No way the corps saw that favorably.'
"So, what happened?"
"Obvious, right? A few suckers at first... but word spread fast. Then a few days ago, shit hit the fan."
His voice dropped an octave.
"Big corps... probably the major elixir makers. Brought a ton of beefy mercs and trashed the place. Patent infringement or whatever. And the witch bitch..."
The bum's eyes glittered with fear and a hint of glee.
"She got sold."
"What?"
"Underground auction house. Association shut down the shop for show and handed her straight to the auctioneers, or so everyone's saying."
His story rang true, yet something felt off.
"An elixir alchemist? Corps would've just kidnapped her and squeezed out her tech. Why bother auctioning her off? Like pouring water into a leaky jar."
"Heh, you don't know how Nocturne Town works."
"What?"
"Anything that comes into Nocturne Town—person, item, info—the profits get split fair with the locals. That's the rule here."
He grinned, baring rotten teeth.
"Big corps make bank here? They gotta kick something back to us. Association's just window dressing in this shadow zone, y'know? Mercs strutting around, smashing shops, dragging people off? That's a declaration of war on the whole city."
"So, a settlement fee."
"Bingo!"
It clicked.
In short, I was someone who'd bought Doris Finch at the auction.
Time to find a new supplier.
I glanced down at the bum.
He looked kinda sleazy, but he'd explained the local scene crystal clear.
Info comes at a price. I wanted to pay up, but my pockets were bone-dry!
'Hmm... Should I bolt?'
I paused for a beat.
Greed flickered back in his eyes. He was hoping for a few coins at least.
"Info has a price."
"Y-yes! Exactly!"
"But a few coins don't match the value you just gave me."
"Huh? W-what do you... You gonna spot me gold or something?"
"No."
No helping it.
Time for a little foresight.
"Bet your whole fortune on the elixir market crashing later. You'll make a killing."
"...Pardon?"
He scrunched his filthy face, trying to parse my nonsense.
"Elixir market? That pricey stuff... Wait, my whole fortune's just this cardboard box..."
"Stake the box then. Get a job."
"Got a bum leg from a work injury..."
This guy's got baggage for no reason.
Makes me feel like the bad guy.
With a sigh, I tossed him my last words.
"Fine, move spots. Set up near Paradise; you'll scrape by better."
In the end, I fished some crumpled coupons from my pocket and tossed them at his feet.
Handouts from Paradise's working girls. With my mark on 'em, the johns won't rough him up.
Leaving his puzzled mug behind, I didn't dawdle.
"Let's go."
"Yes, Master."
Underground auction house.
The path there mirrored Nocturne Town's layout perfectly.
The city spiraled down from the surface into a massive abyss.
The deeper toward the center, the more the streets turned into endless stairs plunging lower, ever lower.
The underground auction was in Block 1—the deepest pit.
Rock bottom of the city.
'Alright, now what?'
Money wasn't the issue; getting in without any was the least of it.
Finding who'd bought Doris Finch was.
Places with the cash for a genius alchemist like her? Only a few came to mind.
Blacksmiths Guild—crazy for Mana Elixirs.
Apothecaries Guild—her old rivals, eyeing her knowledge.
And last...
'Three-Eyed Witch.'
Her gimmick was simple.
'Herbalist cum curse-weaver.'
Alchemy's antithesis, key merchant in the evil route.
Heretical recipes defying alchemy's laws. She'd covet the ideas over raw power. Yeah, odds on her.
She was the prime suspect.
That's when it hit.
Footsteps on the stone stairs echoed behind me, along with a chilling presence.
I didn't stop. Didn't look back.
Just waited for the shadow to pull even.
"Kang Ihyeon, correct?"
A suit sharp as a blade. Hair slicked back with oil. A middle-aged man with dead eyes bowed politely.
"From the Midnight Swamp, here to escort you."
A bead of cold sweat trickled down my forehead as I twisted my lips into a smirk.
As expected.
Knew it.
'The witch called for me.'
Not hard to guess.
First, if Doris got turned into slave goods, they'd wring every memory from her head like juice from fruit.
At the sweet core? Info on my 'substitute elixir' recipe.
Yet no one came calling for ages.
Given the value, it wasn't 'no one came'—it was 'no one could'.
So who?
Few in extraterritorial Nocturne Town were so pinned down they couldn't move freely or had reps in the gutter.
At least, the big shots were all named NPCs in the game—I knew 'em all.
I followed his polite gesture without a word.
"This way?"
"Yes."
The middle-aged man led with mechanical precision.
A translucent new staircase shimmered behind his hand; he stepped onto it without hesitation, descending into the dark.
A path gutting the city's innards. Damp, cold air stabbed my lungs.
"Did your master know I'd come here?"
I broke the heavy silence first.
"Precisely, she foresaw your arrival."
"......"
"Heard an intriguing tale from her new slave. Master needed time to verify the info and prepare to receive you."
"Prepare, huh."
I scoffed inwardly. Not preparation—pinned down.
"Didn't come herself, so she's pretty tied up."
I tossed it out casually, probing. His step hitched, just a fraction.
"...Master's mood is ever the still lake. She simply dislikes uninvited guests."
I asked no more. Just followed silently down the endless stairs.
They passed the auction house, plunging deeper.
As we descended, the pure dark view gave way to another abyss of night sky.
Something twinkled like stars.
Lower, deeper.
As we neared the river of stars, the lights thickened into misty fog that enveloped us.
When it cleared, a swamp emerged—death and life twisted together grotesquely. Ghostly flowers bloomed with sickly glows over rotten water, despite their withered forms.
Cold sweat traced my spine.
'High-level zone.'
I knew the witch's mechanics.
That's why I had the guts to follow this far. But nameless trash mobs haunting this swamp? Whole other story.
Honestly, from my spot, they were way scarier than the witch herself—who at least listened to reason.
And my bad hunches never missed.
Three shadows shot silently from the water. Snake bodies tangled with bug legs and human arms—nightmarish hybrids!
"Damn it!"
I instinctively stepped back half a pace. About to order Lena to guard me.
But the man ahead halted his forward step, flicked his finger lightly—pop.
No flash. No magic circle.
Splash—!
The three beasts were shredded by invisible blades. Bodies split clean vertically, guts and dark blood splattering the swamp messily.
He resumed walking like nothing happened, glancing at the chunks.
"Pardon the mess. Path's a bit cluttered now."
Elite hunter—no, beyond.
For a moment, accepting the invite felt terrifying.